What the Spirits Have Joined
by Kanna37
Summary: Set between the events of EIP and the finale. Katara finally stops running from herself and her feelings for a certain airbender, the war notwithstanding. This is the result.
1. Chapter 1

**What the Spirits Have Joined**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**~A~**

**Part I**

**~A~**

Katara peeked around the corner of the hall of Zuko's family villa on Ember Island at the steps that led up to the front door, and the silent figure of Aang. He was just sitting there looking out at the fantastic view. Even from behind it was easy to see the tension in the lines of his shoulders though, and she looked down guiltily, knowing that while not all of his upset was because of her, some of it certainly was.

_I told him I was confused... but I didn't explain what I meant, and he probably thought I meant about my feelings, but that wasn't it at all. On top of that I ran away... and that just made things worse. _

With a sigh and a deliberate push of her own clamoring and worried emotions to the back of her mind, Katara stepped out from behind her hiding spot and forced herself to move towards the silhouetted figure of the young avatar. Her fear that pushing him away had made him decide he no longer wanted anything to do with her in that fashion was like a living thing, swelling up from her chest to suffocate her, but she couldn't allow that to stop her.

She had to do this. She had to face him and tell him everything, and then let him decide. If he turned her away then that was soon enough to grieve for what her stupidity had cost her.

"Aang?" she said quietly and a little cautiously, not wanting to startle him.

She didn't miss him stiffening as he heard her voice and she wanted to turn and run, but she wouldn't let herself. Not again – not from him.

"Yeah?"

"Could I... talk to you?" she asked tentatively, the uncertainty in her voice causing him to turn and look up at her in sudden concern.

He'd never heard her sound quite like that, and immediately dread flared in him. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear what she had to say, but there wasn't any point in running because that wouldn't really change anything. His heart bled just a little more as he watched her – he loved her so _much_ and her rejection was killing him from the inside out. He'd never known anything could hurt so badly. "Um... I guess so."

When he acquiesced - though she could hear his reluctance clearly and her heart sank - she sat down next to him and folded her hands in her lap to keep from reaching out and touching him like she so desperately wanted to do. The urge was so strong that it literally ached to fight it. "I wanted to apologize... you know, for what happened at that stupid, awful play the other night," she added when he looked at her quizzically. But when he went to say something in return she held up a pleading hand. "Just... just let me finish, okay? If I stop I might not be able to, because I'm terrified right now." When he nodded, though his anxiety only deepened at her words, she continued. "When I said that I was confused, I didn't mean about my feelings, just about the timing. There's just so much going on right now and I'm frightened and worried and overwhelmed with it all. But that was no excuse to leave you like that, with cryptic words and then running off like I did."

"Katara, I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have pressured you. I know you're scared – so am I. So _I_ apologize for dumping more stuff on you, especially something so unimportant," Aang replied, looking away with an expression of self-recrimination darkening his features even more than they had already been.

"No!" she exclaimed, remorse almost suffocating her in its crushing grasp. "No, Aang, your feelings aren't unimportant – don't ever think that!" Katara felt overborne with her own shame for having made him think that the way he felt about her was unimportant, and a single tear ran down each cheek. "I'm so _sorry_ I made you feel that way. I feel so bad that you were so courageous as to face yourself and me with your feelings, and I... I was a coward. I tried to run from them and from you, but I just... can't anymore," she explained, slumping wearily. "I... I'm in love with you, Aang. I have been for a long time – probably longer than I even realized. After all, I was willing to leave everything I'd ever known and everyone I loved back home to follow you into the unknown within a day of meeting you, so I probably started falling from the moment we met," she sighed quietly with a bright blush as she looked down at her tightly clenched fingers, and Aang had the feeling that this was probably the first time she'd admitted it aloud - even to herself. "I understand if you've decided you don't feel the same anymore though, because of... the things I did. I just... I had to explain. I had to apologize."

The airbender could hear the fright in her voice now, though she tried to hide it, and he couldn't let her continue to feel it even if some people would have drawn things out as a little bit of payback for her earlier seeming-rejection. He wasn't like that though, especially as she hadn't been doing it to deliberately hurt him, and all he was feeling now was joy knowing that she actually did return his affections. So he reached out and boldly pulled her to him and planted his lips on hers, opening his mouth just a little and licking across her lower lip with the tip of his tongue.

Katara was stunned when she was abruptly pulled practically into Aang's lap, but she didn't demur, completely delighted about where she had just ended up although she was a little confused, as well. But he didn't leave her that way for long, and as his tongue sizzled across her lower lip she opened on a hiss of surprised pleasure, allowing him to slowly slip his tongue inside to tangle lovingly with hers as the intimacy of the sudden affection made her eyes fall closed in bliss.

_He's really good at this, _she thought hazily before her mind decided to shut down, allowing her to simply move with the flow of energy and emotion between them and forget about everything else. She moaned breathily into the kiss and Aang answered with his own sounds of pleasure and emotion.

After a minute or so of that he finally pulled back, both of them panting and trying to regain their breath. Katara couldn't help but feel pleased – and honored - that she could make the last airbender on earth lose his breath. It wasn't easy to make someone who had mastered the flow of air to their bodies and everywhere else lose control of themselves and their element, after all. They stared at each other for several long seconds, and then Aang grinned elatedly at her.

"What?" she asked after a moment, her eyes narrowing in amused but still tentative wariness at the suddenly mischievous look on his face.

His grin widened even further and he leapt to his feet and held out his hand for her, coming to a sudden decision and feeling excited and lighter than he had since the day he'd been told he was the avatar as he did. "Come on! I want to talk to you about something, but the others would only interrupt if we stayed here much longer. Plus there's something I want you to see!"

Katara couldn't help responding to his bright smile with one of her own, and she took his hand with complete trust just as she had that night in the cave when he'd asked her to dance. "Okay," was all she said as he pulled her up and then began tugging her along behind him enthusiastically, and she couldn't help but to laugh. He always made her feel so free and happy and light when he was like this, and she really adored him for it.

He led her around to the back of the large house and then down a small path into the lush, tropical vegetation that was so prevalent in the Fire Nation. But after a few minutes he left it, leading her into the jungle and away from any foot traffic that might come through.

Katara couldn't help but be curious about where he was taking her, but she held her peace – she trusted Aang absolutely and knew that wherever that was it was someplace she'd want to be.

She couldn't have been more right.

"Oh, spirits, Aang... how did you find this?" she whispered as he finally came to a stop. She let her hand fall from his in the wonder of what was before her, and he moved to stand next to her and look at their surroundings as well, a soft smile on his face.

"Well, you know I've been thinking, trying to figure out how to defeat Ozai without... killing him," he finally said. "Yesterday I just needed a little time away from all the training and stuff, and so I kind of wandered around for a while. But then... well, it was like this place called out to me. And so I just followed the feel of it and ended up here."

'Here' was an oasis. It was like nothing Katara had ever seen, but it felt like the spirit oasis in the North Pole. There was just something about it that told you to show respect because you were in a very spiritual place. It was the last thing she would have expected to find in the Fire Nation of all places, but there it was.

Tropical trees and shrubs of all kinds grew around the pool of water at the center of the glade, and the water itself was completely pure and like glass – you could see the bottom clearly and even though it was still, there was no muck or any kind of pollutant marring its crystal clear depths. That might have been because of the small flame burning in the air right above the center of the pond though, which clearly gave away the spiritual nature of the area. Hanging vines covered most of the rock that surrounded this tiny little piece of perfection, and the flowers and fruits on the trees let out a subtle yet perfect scent that permeated the whole area.

"Is... is it okay for us to be here?" she asked in a hushed, awed voice, glancing at Aang uncertainly.

He smiled at her. "If the spirits didn't want us here we wouldn't have even been allowed this close," he replied. Then his smile turned soft and gentle, a wise light in his eyes that suddenly made him look much, much older than he really was. "Besides... you have the favor of a spirit, remember?"

Katara looked at him askance and then blinked. And then she frowned. "What do you mean?"

Aang eyed her dubiously for a moment thinking she was teasing him, but when it became apparent that she really didn't know what he was talking about, it was his turn to be surprised.

"Remember the Painted Lady?" he asked. When her eyes widened, he nodded. "Yeah. You told me she appeared to you and thanked you. In a way, she's like your patron spirit now. She's watching over you, and that touch of her in you is easily noted by the other spirits."

"Oh," Katara breathed, thinking about that. "I... I didn't know that. I didn't do what I did to earn favor with the spirits, though. I did it because it was the right thing to do. Those people and the river needed help, so I helped them, that's all."

A beautiful smile full of wonder and adoration lit his features, and the young waterbender simply melted. He pulled her into him and kissed her, then let go and took her hand again, leading her slowly towards the pool of water glimmering under the fire that floated above it. "The spirits know that, Katara – and that's why she thanked you. If you had done it merely for favor, you'd never have seen her."

Katara followed him just like she always would, though she was still nervous about being somewhere so touched by the spiritual as this place was.

When they got close to the pool Aang sank down to his knees and motioned for her to join him. When she was settled he inhaled deeply and then slowly let it all out.

He smiled a little when he saw his forever girl looking at him expectantly, and turned to face her. Taking both her hands in his, he opened his heart and started speaking.

"Katara-" he squeezed her hands a little, a bit of apprehension showing through for a moment before he forced himself to continue, "-I know I'm kinda young, being just thirteen, but I know what I want. I've had to grow up a lot sooner than the other avatars, and with their wisdom to draw on and their past experiences, I'm one hundred percent sure of my feelings for you and what they are. I'm always going to love you, whether I'm here or have passed on into the spirit world. But I know what I'm facing soon, and... if I go, I want to take your answer with me into the next world so I have it to hold on to until you get there." He paused, nervously taking note of her wide eyes shimmering with tears of worry and fear and something else, and then forced himself to continue before he ran out of breath permanently. "I know... you might not be ready like me, especially as you've been so confused, but I... I'd regret it if I didn't do this, so... will you marry me?"

Eyes widening in shock the young waterbender stared at her monk, so stunned she couldn't even find her voice for several eternal-seeming seconds. But when she did...

"Aang..." she whispered, letting go of one of his hands to reach out and tentatively touch his cheek with gentle fingers, her heart melting at the obvious love and reverence in his eyes. Tears welled and ran over, washing down her cheeks and taking so much of the worry and fear and confusion away with them, leaving her with no distractions to take her focus away from her feelings for the young airbender in front of her. There was only her, and only him, and she knew what her answer was and always would be in a blinding moment of clarity that came from the deepest recesses of her soul.

There was only one answer she could or would ever give him...

"Yes," she whispered shakily, a shy smile washing across her face at the exuberant shout that came from his throat at her answer. She didn't have a chance to say anything more as he practically leapt into her and proceeded to kiss the living daylights out of her.

How long that kiss went on neither of the participants would ever know, but finally they were pulled apart by the feeling of something welling up around them – something so pure it was holy, and the two sat back in their previous spots with wide eyes and awed expressions at what was surrounding them.

"Aang, where are we?" Katara whispered, now very confused.

He glanced at her and blinked several times, still trying to take in what his eyes were telling him. It wasn't that he didn't recognize the place, because he'd been there several times... but the problem was that Katara was there with him. That shouldn't have been possible – or at least not in such an easy manner. Then again, she _had_ been touched by a spirit's power...

"We're in the spirit world," he finally replied, looking away from her as that feeling of purity increased. "But I don't know why..."

"You are here because you spoke vows of binding within my purview, young avatar," a rich, crackling voice said, and both young people turned their heads and stared at what was sitting where the pool of water had been. "You asked her to bind herself to you permanently and she agreed."

_How did we not notice him?_

'Him' was a flame shaped vaguely like a human, and the only reason the young airbender could really say 'him' was because of his voice, which definitely sounded male. Otherwise there wasn't really any way to tell, but it would have been far too awkward to be thinking 'it' rather than he or she, so he went with the male vernacular.

Recovering from his shock quickly, Aang stood and bowed deeply and with a great deal of respect, inwardly pleased and proud when Katara did the same without question.

The spirit spoke again, motioning for them to re-seat themselves. Both did so, folding their knees under them and listening intently to him, though it was a little difficult at times to make out the words with the way his voice sounded like some great, crackling fire.

"When you do such things in places that are special to the spirits, you are inviting our interference."

Aang swallowed hard and looked at Katara, then back to the fire spirit. "Um... interference?" _That doesn't sound good, _he thought worriedly.

The spirit seemed amused. "In a manner of speaking. Your vows, or promises, if you prefer, will be sealed and blessed by me. If you accept this, you will be bound each to the other until time ends and all realms fade away. Is this something that you would wish?" he asked, looking not at Aang, but at Katara.

"Well, it's not just on me, Aang's a part of this, too," she replied carefully, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes and blushing, not sure yet what to think of this whole thing.

"I have already seen the depths of devotion held in the Avatar's heart for you, and it is more than sufficient to last as long as the bond. Now you must look inside yourself and decide if yours is a love to match his."

Katara's eyes went far away as she did as instructed, thinking about Aang and her feelings for him. She could feel his eyes on her, sense the desperate hope and longing and fear he was experiencing while waiting for her answer, and she looked deep, digging into places in her heart she'd never even noticed before. Some of what was there shamed her, and some of what was there made her happy, but most of all, everywhere she looked there was Aang. He was everywhere inside her, from her darkest to her lightest places, and it was then that she truly knew what her fate was. And she was happy about it, ecstatic that she was going to be so permanently joined to the young monk that had somehow coaxed her heart right out from under her without her even noticing.

She looked up, her eyes regaining their focus on the here and now, but before she could even speak the spirit did for her. "Then since you both wish it I will bind you to each other, hearts and souls."

Aang smiled brilliantly at her when he realized what the spirit was saying, and to Katara he'd never looked so joyous. It was like every burden he was carrying, every terrible thing he'd been through since finding out he was the avatar was simply gone, and in that moment the bright purity of his soul was there in his eyes and shining from his very flesh with radiant euphoria. This was the _true_ Aang, boundless love just pouring from him with all his pain and doubts and insecurities simply gone as if they'd never existed... and he was the most beautiful thing the little waterbender had ever seen.

Suddenly, Aang knew just what the spirit wanted him to say, and he reached over and clasped both of Katara's hands and met her exultant gaze with absolute sincerity in his.

"I vow to remain with Katara in love, faith, and hope until my spirit fades into eternity and my consciousness no longer exists. I do this freely of my own will, and humbly ask that she accept my vow in return of my acceptance of her."

Barely able to draw breath with the intensity of the emotions running through her, Katara held his eyes as she spoke. "I vow to remain with Aang in love, faith, and hope until my spirit fades into eternity and my consciousness no longer exists. I do this freely of my own will, and humbly ask that he accept my vow in return of my acceptance of him."

As the two finished what the spirit had silently directed them to say a pulse went out from them and crossed the spirit world, and the roaring fire that had been the spirit a moment before whirled up around them like a hurricane and then washed over them both in a rushing whoosh. Neither had the time to even begin to think of fearing what was happening, and indeed there was no burning, no pain, just an effervescent feeling of something otherworldly communing with them.

After a few moments of that, both Aang and Katara gasped as they suddenly felt each other in ways they'd never been able to before. It was like being inside each other but still inside their own skin at the same time, a little confusing but more than that, as well. It was an intimate sharing between them of all of who and what they were as the fire welled up within them and forged the link between their souls, sealing it so that no one would ever be able to tear them apart.

It was anyone's guess how long the two young lovers were like that, sitting outside of time and space as their spirits were bound to each other in love and joy, but when they were finally able to notice things around them again they were once more back in the mortal world with the fire dying from around and within them.

"What I have joined together, let no mortal or spirit split asunder," the fire spirit - who'd not even told them his name – roared in a great voice, and then the flames they'd been anointed by finally dissipated back into the single, small flame resting above the water and the sense of great presence was muted once again, leaving them back in the oasis in silence.

For a moment the disconnect between what had happened and the suddenness of being returned to the mortal world left them both wondering whether they'd just imagined all of that, but when their eyes met and their new bond sparked between them they knew it had all been real. Both were still in a little bit of shock, but it wasn't a displeased shock – they were both very ecstatic about what had happened, it would just take some getting used to.

Katara found that she was no longer worried about Aang facing Ozai. Somehow she just knew that he would be fine, and that he _would_ restore the balance to the world and save it. She smiled brilliantly at him, and he returned it.

"I'm glad you brought me here," she said, blushing a little shyly now that they were – relatively – alone again.

"Yeah," the young monk sighed happily, "you're finally mine now. This has been the best day of my _life_ – you have _no idea_ how long I've dreamed about, well... something like this, anyway," he finished a little awkwardly with a sheepish grin.

She blushed deeper but her smile widened. "I agree – this has been the best day of my life, too. But I think we should probably go... if we're gone any longer the others might panic and think we've been captured or something."

"Yeah," Aang agreed, though with some reluctance. But then that slightly mischievous glint appeared in his eyes again and he smirked. "But first..." He stood up and offered her a hand, and when she took it he pulled her straight up and into his arms. His eyes hooded and the expression in them was the same as it had been that night when they'd danced in that Fire Nation cave – it was enough to send her pulse racing and heat her blood. "The spirit forgot one thing... the part where he says 'you may kiss your bride', so I'm going to have to correct that."

With that he leaned into her and kissed her again, and this one was even better than the last. (Aang was a very fast learner when he put his mind to something, and he was definitely putting his mind to kissing her.) Katara was unable and unwilling to fight him for the pleasure, and she instantly melted into the embrace, eagerly returning his affection.

When it was over both were breathing hard and he was looking at her in a way he never really had before, with ardor and wonder and a wistful adoration gleaming in his eyes that took what little breath she had left away. He was perfect, and she cherished him and always would, so she answered his look with one of her own.

He smiled at her so beautifully that her heart just ached with the intensity of the emotions welling within her. "My... wife," he whispered. "My forever girl really _is _now. I love you so _much_, Katara."

The teenaged girl blinked as he addressed her as his wife, and then she grinned as she realized that she really was – they'd been married by the spirits themselves, and there was no more profound bond than what they now had. A human marriage ceremony simply couldn't have near the importance or impact of the connection they now shared.

"I like the sound of that," she said quietly as he took her by the hand again and began leading her away. "My... my husband," she tried the words out, and something inside her reverberated with the truth of them. He really was her husband now. "Yeah, I really like the sound of that. And... I love you, too."

Aang looked back at her and beamed.

Things weren't perfect, because nothing ever was, at least not while you were in the mortal world. He still had a battle to win, and there were a million and one other pressures on both of them... but they'd work them out. And the ups and downs every couple faced... well, they'd make it through those, too. Because at the end of the day, no matter what happened around them there would still be _them_.

And that was all that counted.


	2. Chapter 2

**~A~**

**Part II**

**~A~**

Cool grasses whispered in the slight breeze flowing through the Fire Nation Palace gardens, and Aang breathed in deeply, tired but content – mostly, anyway. It was all over. The day he'd feared since finding out about the war had come and gone, leaving him the clear victor and Ozai unable to ever firebend again.

The only thing that was marring his contentment was the memory of the angry words between he and Katara the last time he'd spoken to her before disappearing in the night. He regretted the harsh exchange, and he wouldn't be completely content until that little spat was cleared up, because he missed her terribly and couldn't stand that there was anything between them at all, let alone something as silly as _words_. Words said in anger, no less.

He sighed, wondering how to approach her. She was his wife now, after all, married more thoroughly by the spirits than mere humans could ever do, and he loved her with all of his heart and soul. This separation between them was hurting... though it was a separation that was more conceptual than real; since they were spiritually bonded he could still feel her and knew that she was okay though a bit restless, for some reason.

Suddenly flowing gracefully to his feet with the judicious aid of a little airbending, Aang decided he was going to track Katara down and clear this mess between them up. Sure, when he, Sokka, Suki, and Toph had returned from fighting Ozai and the airship fleet she'd greeted him happily enough, but he'd felt a little uncertainty from her and he couldn't stand even that much discord between them.

But before he could make his way back inside the palace the very person he'd been about to track down practically plowed into him, and Aang barely managed to keep the both of them from falling over.

"Aang!" Katara exclaimed breathlessly, her cheeks pinkening when she realized that she'd nearly run the avatar over in her determination to get to him. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run you down... I was just trying to find you and I could feel you out here," she explained a little sheepishly.

"It's okay," he smiled. "I was just going to look for you, too. I guess we were kind of thinking the same thing, huh?"

"It seems that way," she agreed softly, relaxing at his easy manner and smiling a little shyly at him. "Can we... you know, take a walk? I need to talk to you."

"Sure. I was going to ask you the same thing, but you beat me to it," he chuckled as he took her proffered hand and held it gently as they drifted back into the gardens and wandered along the many lamplit paths. "So... what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, um, well... I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for badgering you about Ozai like I did," she began guiltily. "I was wrong, and I'm glad you followed your heart and found a different way to deal with him – that you didn't have to kill him."

"Thanks," he blushed. "I'm happy you've realized that all life-"

Katara broke him off there. "Aang, I'm not glad for Ozai's sake, but for yours. Having to kill him would have hurt you-" she stopped and when he did the same and turned to look at her, she put her hand over his heart, "-here. And that kind of hurt can't really be healed – it leaves terrible scars and changes a person in many ways. I never, ever want anything to change you in such a way, so I'm glad it didn't come to that."

Aang's heart softened at her words. She still didn't necessarily see life and death as he did apparently - though he hoped one day she would – but she hadn't been raised as a peaceful air nomad monk. She'd been raised in a world that was at war, a world where defending your people meant killing. And while she'd never had to do so herself, she'd been faced directly with the effects of that war with the murder of her mother. Death had come to someone she'd loved, and then the war had in effect taken her father away, as well.

But she was beginning to understand, he knew, and he wasn't willing to push it. She'd learn in her own time and he was content with that.

Still, the evidence that she loved him in her willingness to accept his decision because it was best for _him_ melted his heart, and he tightened his fingers around her hand, gently squeezing. "I won't change, Katara. You like me this way and I do, too. So I'll stay this way for both of us." He paused, then said, "I wanted to say I'm sorry, too – you know, for getting so angry with you... well, with all of you, but mostly you," he added. "I-"

This time it was a delicate finger that stopped him as the lithe teen girl pressed one to his lips. "Shh," she whispered. "You don't owe any of us an apology. We were pushing you to do something that goes against the very beliefs that make you who you are. That was selfish, and _I'm_ the one who's sorry."

After a moment spent looking at her he just sighed, and as her hand dropped away from his face he smiled ruefully. "Okay... I guess we should just forget about this subject, huh? I don't think we'll ever agree on that point, but there's no real need to keep talking about it. So why don't we move on to something better?" He looked around and then his smile changed, becoming a little inviting. "You know... we're alone out here in a beautiful, peaceful garden. No Sokka, no Toph, no one to bother us..." he trailed off and cast her a glance from beneath thick lashes. "Can I kiss you?"

Katara blinked, a little surprised but not at all averse to what he was suggesting. She smiled softly at him. "Yes," she answered breathlessly, and then she waited for him to pull her into his body before twining her arms around his neck as his lips met hers and his arms settled low on her hips.

As his taste exploded on her tongue she realized she'd really missed it, and with a small moan she engaged him fully. How long they stood there entwined like that neither was ever certain, but when they finally broke apart Katara knew she'd never forget that kiss. She smiled at him, admiring the dazed look in his eyes that she was pretty sure matched her own.

"But you know... you don't really have to _ask_," she said once she'd caught her breath, and Aang blinked, wondering what she was talking about as he battled the blood away from some rather dangerous areas and back towards his brain.

It took a few, but then he remembered his question and flushed. "Do you... really mean that?"

"Of course! I _am_ your wife, after all," she stated, looking at him with a soft, diffident smile. "That's kinda what married couples do, you know."

At that Aang blushed twenty shades of red and was forced to clear his throat, to her amusement. "Um, yeah, I know." Needing to get some more air to his brain to combat the Katara-induced haze currently filling it, he decided to change the subject just slightly. "Are we going to keep it a secret or tell everyone?"

"Huh?" she hummed, a bit confused at the abrupt conversational change.

"You know, about... about being married by the spirits. I kinda feel like we should at least tell your family and the rest of the group."

"Oh," Katara blushed hotly. She thought about it for a few moments and then nodded, the blush fading. "We should. I want everyone to know that you and all your avatar magnificence are mine," she said lightly as though she were teasing. But she really wasn't, and he knew it.

He grinned, rubbing his neck and blushing deeply for a few moments. "I'm not the one who's magnificent," he said earnestly. "You are. You're the most amazing person I've ever known, and I want every guy out there to know _you're_ mine. You could have had anyone you wanted, but you chose me. I'll never forget how lucky I am to have you no matter how old I get, I promise you that."

Blush deepening, Katara reflected distantly that they'd both been doing an awful lot of that lately, but pushed the thought aside and grabbed his hand. "Okay, that's enough of that. Let's go find my father and the rest of the group so we can tell them about us."

Aang's grin widened slowly as he looked at her, and then he turned and led her back into the palace excitedly.

~A~

The room was filled with a stunned silence as Aang finished speaking, Katara standing next to him and holding tightly to his hand.

Surprisingly, it was Zuko to break the quiet first.

"So let me get this straight – you were married by a spirit?"

"Yeah. A fire spirit," Katara answered him with a small smile at the young monk at her side.

The new Firelord gaped at them in shocked amazement. "You guys... there _is _only _one_ fire spirit," he choked. "You... you were married by Agni himself..." he trailed off with awe, not even noticing the gasps from everyone else. "That's just... wow. I don't even know what to say."

Aang's eyes widened. "A-Agni?" he stammered, looking just as surprised now as the rest of the room.

"Wait, wait, wait," Sokka exclaimed, and everyone looked at him and his seemingly speechless father. "_Married_? What was this spirit _thinking_? You guys are too young for this!"

Katara glared at her brother, but before she could say anything Aang stepped in. "No, we're not. The spirits look inside, Sokka. He judged our hearts and minds and if we weren't ready the bonding wouldn't have happened."

The water tribe teen sputtered, seemingly unable to find the words he was looking for, but he stopped when his father's hand fell on his shoulder. With a sigh he stepped back, deciding to let him deal with what was happening. His duty to protect his sister was over; it was their father's place now – or maybe Aang's... and he had to admit there wasn't anyone better suited to protecting her than the most powerful person on the planet, when it came right down to it.

Katara met her father's gaze steadily, standing proudly next to Aang, who was also meeting Hakoda's assessing gaze unflinchingly. For long moments the three just stared at each other, the rest of the group watching with bated breaths to see what was going to happen.

"Well," her father finally sighed, "I suppose there's not much for me to say. I may be your father, but I know better than to go against the spirits. And from what Bato told me, you two and Sokka completed the ice dodging, so that makes you adults in the water tribe anyway – even though you, Aang, are still a _little_ young by our standards." He frowned thoughtfully and then asked, "What age did your people consider adult?"

A bit of sadness passed rapidly across the young man's face but he didn't allow it to linger and answered the question easily enough. "We didn't have a set age, really. We were considered adult when we mastered the first thirty-five levels of airbending. Most didn't ever master the final level, but when you earned your tattoos you were expected to accept adult responsibilities." He smiled. "Most nomads reached their mastery around the age of fourteen."

Iroh looked curious. "When did you reach your mastery, Aang?"

The boy blushed and fidgeted a little at that question. "Well... I was ten when I... mastered the thirty-sixth level of airbending," he finally confessed a little self-consciously.

Everyone in the room gaped at him except Katara.

"_Ten_?" was the general chorus as they all stared at him with wide-eyes.

"Yeah. So I've basically been considered an adult by my people's standards since then."

"Forgive me if I'm missing something here," Iroh began, "but when you mastered your element that made you an adult? I'm not sure I understand why the Nomads looked at things that way," he said carefully.

Both Aang and Katara moved further into the room and sat down next to each other.

"Well, it's not quite that easy," Aang admitted. "I was simplifying a little. It didn't matter if you mastered airbending alone – if you weren't considered capable of accepting adult responsibilities then you wouldn't get your tattoos no matter how good at airbending you were. I suppose we had both as qualifications for adult status and you had to _reach_ both. So my tattoos mean that I was judged ready for all that receiving them required by the other monks and my guardian."

Privately Katara couldn't deny that when she'd first met Aang, if she had known then of the way his people decided such an important matter she would have questioned their judgment, because he'd acted just like a kid. But... over the course of the year that she'd known him she'd learned that Aang was a kid at heart and always would be – but that when it counted he was as mature as anyone could expect, and that was all that could be asked of any being. Just by knowing him she already knew so much about the air nomads – such as that they'd been fun-filled, mischievous, and incurably playful pranksters that had loved life and relished in the lighter side of it. He was the most charming person she'd ever known, and his childlike side was a part of that - a part she loved as much as she loved all the rest of him.

She couldn't find any fault with who he was, and she didn't really much care if anyone else did – as far as she was concerned, that was their problem.

Hakoda had fallen silent after expressing his surprise at Aang's disclosure of the age he'd reached 'adult' status by his people's standards, closely watching his daughter's and the young monk's body language as Iroh questioned them. It was very clear that even if he didn't approve she would stand by the airbender, and even more clear that whatever it was that the fire spirit Agni had done had definitely strongly affected both of them. They were highly aware of each other and seemed to know exactly what the other was feeling and even thinking in the moment, as Katara showed no surprise about anything the boy was saying at all. His eyes saddened for a moment at the realization of his loss of his daughter, but it was inevitable, really. When he'd left the south pole she'd still been a child, but it was clear that she was no longer, and neither was the Avatar.

Of course, after what they'd been through in the last year that really shouldn't be so surprising.

When the room fell silent again he cleared his throat and everyone looked at him curiously. "Then I welcome you to the family, Aang." He smiled a little as the young couple grinned, their joy quite vivid and heartwarming to see. "I see no point in trying to keep you two apart, and if the look on my daughter's face is anything to go by you make her happier than I've ever seen her. I won't be the one to try to stand in the way of that." He chuckled. "I don't think it would do any good if I did, anyway."

Katara looked at her father with determination but also a bit of regret. "No, it wouldn't. I will never leave Aang for anyone. I'm sorry, dad, but if you tried to keep me from him..." she trailed off and shook her head, her expression clearing. "Well, never mind that. It doesn't matter, since you're not going to," she finished, glancing at the boy at her side, knowing he was looking at her. Her features softened with deep affection at the wonder on his face.

"I never wanted to come between you and your family, Katara," he began in a tone filled with emotion as well as awe that she would have chosen him over them if forced to, "but I can't deny that knowing that you would... choose me... I can't even tell you how that makes me feel." He looked at Hakoda and Sokka a little sadly. "And yet I can't help but feel kind of guilty, too – because it seems I _did_ come between you, after all-"

"No, you didn't, Aang. You _are_ part of my family – asking me to choose between you and them would be like Sokka asking me to choose between him and my dad. That's just silly," she said firmly.

Hakoda crouched down and put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Don't feel bad, Aang. Every child grows up and leaves home to marry or otherwise live their lives. I would never try to keep my children from doing that. Katara chose you, and I trust her. That she loves you is enough for me." Then he glanced at his son, who was looking at the young Avatar with affection, as well. "And from the look on Sokka's face, he trusts you, too. What more could a father ask?" he finished as his hand dropped back to his side and he stood up again.

Aang gently disengaged his hand from Katara's to stand and put one fist against the other palm, bowing deeply and with great respect to his new father-in-law. "I can never thank you enough then, Chief Hakoda, for allowing me the greatest gift in the world – your daughter. I vow to you as the Avatar – and as Aang - that she will always be cherished and protected to the best of my abilities."

Hakoda didn't miss that the young man didn't promise that Katara would always be _safe_, and he understood why that was. While most fathers would be upset by that seeming-omission, he wasn't. His daughter was a warrior no less than his son was, and she'd spent the last year fighting in the great war at this same young man's side. Aang respected her and knew that she could protect herself, but was telling him that he would protect her as well as he was able, too.

That was all he could ask.

He bowed in return. "Then my heart will rest at ease," he said, smiling at his newest family member and his daughter with equal pleasure as Aang sank back down next to Katara again. It was hard not to take a liking to the young Avatar even on short acquaintance – he was one of the most genuine, charismatic, and likeable people Hakoda had ever met, and he was proud to claim him as family.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised this has happened," Suki finally piped up, shaking her head with a small, rueful smile when everyone looked at her.

Sokka stared at her like she was crazy. "What do you mean?"

She laughed, returning his stare fondly. "I've known what was happening between them since the Serpent's Pass, Sokka. I can't believe_ you_ didn't. Heck, I suspected even back when you guys first came to Kyoshi Island, if the truth were to be told. Aang was pretty transparent-" she giggled when he turned a nice shade of red, "-though Katara was a lot harder to read. But even then she was devoted to him. I'm happy that everything resolved itself in your favor, you guys," she finished affectionately with a ready smile at the two sitting so close together.

"I guess it's a good thing I didn't put any money on Haru then," the so-far silent Toph finally piped up, not bothered one whit as everyone turned to stare at her with consternation. "What?"

"Toph!" Katara exclaimed with annoyance, frowning at the girl though of course she couldn't see it. "What is it with you and Haru? I'm going to start thinking _you_ have a thing for him if you don't quit harping on him!"

The younger girl simply laughed and brushed that off. "I was just kidding, Sweetness, lighten up. I'm happy for you guys, seriously. I've always known how Aang felt about you, and I'm actually glad you _didn't_ have a thing for Haru," she admitted as all those in the room murmured their agreement.

Katara just eyed her skeptically for a few moments and then sighed, letting it go as Aang took her hand and squeezed it gently. She knew what he meant, and she stayed quiet and let him speak for the both of them.

"Thanks, Toph, Suki – all of you. You don't know what that means to me, that you guys support me and Katara being together." He grinned affectionately at those in the room with them, reflecting on the odd vagaries of fate. It had taken one family from him, Monk Gyatso most especially, but then turned around and replaced it with a family that had found _him_ one by one. (Well, except for Sokka and Katara, who'd found him together.) And while he would always miss his guardian, he also wouldn't give up the new family he'd found for anything... and most especially not Katara.

As the conversation in the room picked back up and a comfortable lassitude filled Aang's body he smiled and glanced at Katara from the corners of his eyes, not surprised to find her returning the sideways look with one of her own. Her smile was the same as his, and he bumped shoulders affectionately with her and let his smile widen into a grin. Things couldn't have turned out any better, as far as he was concerned, and as he let his eyes wander for a moment around the room again he allowed a mellow feeling of contentment to well up within him without trying to stop it.

He and Katara and all those in this room deserved this time of peace and happiness, and even though he knew it wouldn't last as the world caught its collective breath and then began clamoring for attention, he couldn't help but be content, anyway.

As long as he had the people currently surrounding he and his favorite waterbender, he could do what needed to be done.

For that matter, as long as he had Katara he could do anything and everything that the world required of him.

She smiled over at Aang and leaned her head on his shoulder as their bond sparked between them, saying quietly, "I agree – as long as we have each other, we _can_ do everything."

And they did.

_**Fin**_


End file.
